Basketball

Spartans Run Into Panther Buzz Saw, Lady Spartans Shine

Blane Embry and his South Warren Lady Spartans continue to show signs of cohesion and team basketball, and the win-loss record reflects those successes. South Warren welcomed Russellville on Friday night, attempting to keep a three game win streak alive against the 10-9 Lady Panthers.

In similar fashion to Wednesday night against Warren Central, the Lady Spartans started relatively slowly, falling behind 9-3, and then Amaya Lasley and the South Warren defense decided it was time to take over. From 9-3 to 20-9 as SWHS went on a 17-0 run,

spearheaded by 15 first quarter points from Lasley. She was unstoppable on the dribble and Russellville could not make a single pass without at least a deflection. Turnovers aplenty and although the Lady Panthers were able to hit a few shots in the final minutes of the half, South Warren continued to pour it on. At the intermission, Lasley herself had 25 and the lead was 19 at 39-22.

The lead was safe, but Amaya kept shooting, and kept scoring. She finished with 32 points in the game, certainly enough to be named Bluegrass Cellular STBN Player of the Game. Her partner in crime, Timitryi Patterson, was a terror on the offensive boards and scored 15. She also collected multiple steals in each half.
Blane Embry pointed to an overall team effort and focus on defense and rebounding as the catalysts in addition to Lasley’s big night. He also told STBN that next week is a prime example of why he chose this profession. The Lady Spartans meet Bowling Green on Tuesday, play Greenwood on Friday on the road, and then travel to powerhouse Elizabethtown on Saturday.

South Warren now 15-5 on the season and playing deeper into its bench. Good results have been the byproduct of the improvements and fine tuning.

FINAL: South Warren 75, Russellville 41
SW: Lasley 32, Patterson 15
RHS: Poirier 11, Bryant 10

After winning five of six, South Warren’s boys team ran into a buzzsaw in back to back losses to Warren Central, where the Dragons shot the three at the regular clip of a layup. On Friday, the Spartans ran into a balanced, long, and athletic Russellville group that came in 12-4 and undefeated in its district.
Early, it was all Russellville, as the Panthers rebounded it well, shot it well enough, and Pedro Bradshaw in particular proved to be a monster to handle on both ends of the floor.

Brandon Stacker’s finishing ability down low, Dylan Beckham’s passing, and Dayton Gumm’s usual magic kept the Spartans close, as Tony Hopper’s team pulled to within six points twice in the second quarter. In the final minutes, however, Russellville picked up the defense, hit a pair of threes, and the lead was a much less inviting 15 at the intermission.

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South Warren cut the lead to 9 early in the third quarter, then watched two questionable whistles led to five points for Russellville. The first was a travel called on Dayton Gumm at midcourt, when the crowd believed a foul should have been called on Jaylyn McMurray. Chandler Stephanski then skied up for a block and believed he had achieved a jump ball, but was called for a shooting foul.

The RHS lead grew to 18, and then in the fourth, Russellville left no further room for doubt as the Panthers finished off the Spartans, 78-46. In the loss, Brandon Stacker was the Bluegrass Cellular STBN South Warren Player of the Game. He finished with 16 points, but it was his hustle that separated his overall performance from the pack.

FINAL: Russellville 78, South Warren 46
RHS: Mitchell 22, Bradshaw 19
SW: Stacker 16, Gumm 16

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